


Bound For Freedom, Year Two: Another Sonic/Sally Collection

by Gojira007



Series: Bound For Freedom: The Annual SonSal Celebration [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Drabble Collection, F/F, F/M, Fanart, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29401176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gojira007/pseuds/Gojira007
Summary: In honor of Valentine's Day, it's another collection of short stories from various continuities, exploring the trust and affection that binds Sonic and Sally together, through all circumstances, against all challenges, in every world and every way.Updated daily.DAY ONE-REUNION: Breaking through walls to find each other againDAY TWO-DOUBLE DATE: Two Sallys, reflecting on two LovesDAY THREE-SURPRISE: Dealing with an unexpected transformation.DAY FOUR-CHOICE: The hardest thing she can ask of him.DAY FIVE-ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: A glimpse at a different journey.DAY SIX-HURT: Finding the thing tragedy cannot take away.DAY SEVEN-PEACE: The future she never thought they'd see.DAY EIGHT (Finale)-PROTECT: Two swords, two souls, united.
Relationships: Sally Acorn/Nicole the Holo-Lynx, Sally Acorn/Sonic the Hedgehog
Series: Bound For Freedom: The Annual SonSal Celebration [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2159850
Kudos: 3
Collections: Sonic, Sonic Fanfics, Sonic SatAM/Sonic Archie





	1. Moonlight Rendezvous

**Author's Note:**

> CONTINUITY: Archie Comics (Pre-Reboot)  
> PROMPT: Reunion

The night was cool and still. The castle was completely silent. Sally lay in bed, waiting.

And then she felt the breeze come in from the window.

“Good,” she whispered as she sat up. “He made it.”

She reached beneath the bed, pulling out a dark-green cloak; it had once been a dress she’d been forced to wear to a royal gala the other week, but now it served a far better purpose. The princess tried not to think too hard about all the things it represented as she threw it on. The ways her family was cutting her out of the loop, the prison the castle had become, the isolation she’d been made to endure “for her safety”…those things would still be there in the morning, but tonight?

Tonight was special.

She gave one last look to the door, ears strained for the sound of any guards who might be passing by on their nightly patrol. And then, once she was certain none were coming, the squirrel crept out her bedroom window. It was a tall drop on the other side, so she made sure her grip on the stones of the tower was good and tight. But only a few moments later as she climbed upward, there was a familiar hand waiting for her.

“Fancy meetin’ you here.”

Taking the offered hand in her own, Sally found herself pulled up the final stretch of the way until she sat on top of the castle spire, where Sonic the Hedgehog was waiting for her. “It’s almost as if we spent the whole week secretly planning for this,” the squirrel said with a laugh before wrapping the hedgehog into a tight embrace. “…I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

“Missed you too, Sal,” Sonic replied with equal softness, brushing a hand against her cheek even as he continued to hold their hug together. “Hope I didn’t keep you waitin’ too long.”

They slowly leaned back from each other, each taking a moment to admire how well the silvery light of the moon reflected on the other. “I admit, the last few weeks haven’t been easy…” Sally said. “But I never lost faith. You’re not the giving-up type, after all.”

“And neither’re you,” Sonic replied, hand still softly pressed to her cheek.

“We’re just lucky Chuck’s old messenger pigeons are still around,” the princess said, leaning into his touch a bit. “Otherwise we might never have been able to pull this off.”

“A bit ‘o’ luck ‘n’ a lotta skill is how we made it this far t’begin with,” Sonic replied with a warm smile. “But heck, what’s even the point of all this if we’re just gonna do Shop Talk? I wanna know how you’re doin’, Sal. What’ve you been up to?”

She smiled right back at him. “Besides having to put up with Geoffrey’s haranguing?”

That got a good laugh out of the hedgehog, and even as she had to remind him to keep his voice down, Sally could feel herself relaxing the more she talked to him…the more he talked to her about how he and Tails and Rotor and Bunnie and Antoine all were doing. Back and forth they went, as if nothing had changed. As if there were no walls between them. And Sally knew those walls would be back with the coming of the dawn.

But for tonight, there was nothing keeping them apart.


	2. Reflections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAY TWO-DOUBLE DATE: Two Sallys, reflecting on two Loves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuity: Archie (Pre-Reboot)/Archie (Post-Reboot)  
> Prompt: Double Date  
> Also includes Salicole

It was, Sally supposed, still a bit odd to be looking at someone who was simultaneously her and not her at the same time. Sonic, naturally, had been the one to settle on what to call them: “You’re Vest Sally,” he’d said to her, “’cuz your vest really stands out on ya. She’s Ring Sally, ‘cuz she’s got those rings on her wrists.”

Far from perfect, obviously, but since no one else could think of anything better, they’d run with it.

Regardless of who was called what, however, the morning “Vest Sally” and Sonic had spent with “Ring Sally” and her universe’s version of Nicole had been so perfectly pleasant that, now that they were settling in for a pleasant little Lunch, it was hard to get too caught up in the oddness of it all. But that didn’t mean there weren’t still a lot of questions on everyone’s minds.

With their meal now on the way, Sonic and Nicole were entirely absorbed with each other; the conversation they were having was a bit hard to keep track of (one was a natural motor-mouth, the other literally had a computerized brain; the pace was thus _very_ fast), but whatever they were talking about was clearly _very_ enjoyable to both of them, and both Sallys could not help but sigh contentedly as they observed it from the outside. “They really _are_ special, aren’t they?” Ring Sally said softly.

“They very much are,” Vest Sally replied, turning her attention to her counterpart. “I didn’t pursue a romantic relationship with her the way you did, but my Nicole has been an invaluable companion to me for almost all my life.”

Ring Sally chuckled a little. “I was honestly gonna say the exact same thing about my Sonic.”

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Vest Sally asked, leaning back into her chair. “I don’t know that I’d ever actively thought about Romancing my Nicole, but knowing that _you_ did…it makes me realize, if things had been a bit different…if different things had happened at different times…I just might have.”

“Again? I’d say the exact same thing about me ‘n’ my Sonic.” Ring Sally leaned forward. “But where you say ‘funny’, I say _‘fascinating’_!” Vest Sally smiled as she watched Ring Sally’s eyes light up. “After all, it’s not like that fact makes one of us more or less ‘worthy’ than the other, right? It just means that we each had chances to explore ourselves and our feelings, each in our own way! Who else on all of Mobius can say they got to know themselves through that prism?”

Vest Sally put a hand to her chin, humming in thought. “There are a _lot_ of possibilities it opens up, aren’t there?” she said. “At the very least, it makes the universe less…scary…knowing that One End does not apply to All Things.”

Just as Ring Sally was about to respond, however, both paused as they felt a familiar hand come to rest on top of theirs. The two Sallys turned to see Sonic and Nicole smiling at them warmly. “Being in love with an egg-head really is somethin’ special, huh, Neeks?” Sonic said.

“A rare and wonderful privilege indeed, my main ‘hog,” Nicole said with a giggle.

Both Sallys rolled their eyes a bit, but the smiles they each wore betrayed them. “Finally finished with your talk?” Vest Sally asked with a bemused tone, to which they both nodded.

“What were you two talking about so eagerly anyway?” Ring Sally asked.

The hedgehog and lynx smiled slyly. “What else?” they both said together in perfect unison. “How much we love you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually the first of this year's prompt ideas I thought of; SonSal will always be my truest OTP, but I enjoy Salicole a lot too, and I appreciate how much it means to other fans, and so I had a really clear vision of what I wanted this scene to be and what I wanted to say with it.


	3. Hair of the 'Hog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAY THREE-SURPRISE: Dealing with an unexpected transformation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuity: Archie (Post-Reboot)  
> Prompt: Surprise  
> Includes Werewolf Transformation

Everything had been fine, like, five seconds ago.

Sonic and Sally had been doing a bit of Spring Cleaning in her hut, perfectly happy, making jokes, the whole nine yards. At one point, Sonic had bent down to pick up a bit of paper that had fallen to the floor, and then he heard a loud CRACK from behind. “Hey, is everything OK, SalleeyeeYEE!!!”

He turned around to find himself looking, not at the small (actually a bit taller than him but still) squirrel he knew, but a towering beast with wild unruly fur, razor sharp teeth, and thick strong claws. Said claws were currently rubbing the back of its head, which was just now lowering from the fractured piece of roof it had been stuck in a moment ago. Any other Mobian would have probably been scared out of their minds, but Sonic…well, OK, his quills were all on end and his heart was beating even faster than usual, but even so the hedgehog’s momentary surprise (which was not at all the same thing as having been scared!) was not enough to keep him from noticing just how familiar this creature looked.

“Sal?” he squeaked out, then coughed and tried again. “Uh, I mean, Sal? Is that you?” The beast gave a slow nod.

“…h…hi, Sonic…” the beast spoke, her deep growling voice sounding paradoxically mawkish. “Did you get that paper…?”

“Yup.” He showed it to her, waving it around teasingly. “Now _you_ have to answer _my_ question.” He took a moment to mat down his quills before standing on his tippy toes, still not quite able to get to eye-level with the princess but it was close enough. “What. The. Heck?”

“Well…you remember the whole ‘Werehog’ incident, right?” Sonic quirked a brow at her. “…OK, bad question.” The wolf-squirrel’s head lowered, her eyes turning glumly to her feet. “In any case, somehow, I guess some of that power got transferred into me, and in the last week or so…I don’t know what sets it off, but every so often, apparently at random…well…” She gestured toward her hulking form. “ _This_ happens. It can last a minute, an hour, sometimes even the better part of a day….”

“And you’ve been hiding that from us?” Sonic asked her, taking a step toward her.

She backed away a little. “I didn’t…I didn’t want anyone to worry.” She traced a circle on the floor, her clawed finger leaving a thin trail in the wood. “I’m not experiencing any loss of control or changes in perception…I’m still _me_ , as far as I can tell. Just…” she sighed. “A bigger, scarier me. I thought maybe it was better if-”

She squeaked a bit as Sonic put a finger to her snout, having now climbed a bit over her legs. “It wasn’t,” he said simply. “Sal, you know how much we all care about you. Even if it’s not as bad as bad gets _now_ , who knows how much worse it might get later?” He lowered his hand to hers, wrapping it around her thumb. “And even if it doesn’t…I made the mistake of tryin’ t’hide from my friends too. Trust me, it’s _never_ the right answer.”

“…I know,” Sally said, and for a moment it was if her voice was back to its usual self. “I guess I knew I was making a mistake all along. I was just…scared….”

Sonic nodded, leaning into the tufted fur of her chest. “Yeah…it _is_ pretty scary, huh?”

The princess sighed a little (Sonic might even have thought it was almost like a purr), gently placing a big hand to his back. “Actually? Not so much,” she said. “Not anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a fair amount of fun with this one, not just writing the interaction with Sonic and Sally (which is ALWAYS fun, after all, though here especially I enjoyed seeing exactly how Sonic would handle this turn of events), but also getting to design a Werewolf Form for Sally. So much so I actually did a follow-up pic showing what it looks like when her eyes are open: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523941516020809738/750568253423747172/CamScanner_09-01-2020_18.36.26_2.jpg


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAY FOUR-CHOICE: The hardest thing she can ask of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuity: SatAM  
> Prompt: Choice  
> WARNING: Deals with the possibility of Major Character Death

“You don’t know what you’re askin’ me t’do.”

The rain continued to pour down on Sonic as he looked down at Sally. She was laid up against a nearby tree, looking right back up at him with fire still clear in her exhausted eyes. Strange black veins, visible even beneath her fur, webbed out across the squirrel’s body, and her hair was fraying and loose. “Yes, I do,” she answered, voice firm even as it was also painfully hoarse. “Which is why I know exactly how hard it is.”

“Hard?” Sonic laughed bitterly. “Sal…you want me t’leave you behind! To just… _let_ you…!”

His hands clenched as the last word refused to come out. They held each other’s gaze. “Yes. I am.” Thunder roared through the sky as they held each other’s gaze. “If we had more time…any other options…it would be a different story,” Sally continued. “But Robotnik’s poison is only making me weaker and weaker over time. I can barely move at this point as it is, who knows how much worse it will get?”

“Which is all the more reason I say we bolt and get you back to Knothole as fast as possible!”

Sally shook her head. “This forest is already full of Mega Muck, and the rain is pulling even more of it out of the ground. With how dark it is already, you’d have no chance to avoid getting stuck in that stuff. We have no power ring, and in my condition I’d never be able to get you out.”

“Fine! Then we take it slow!” Sonic’s quills were bristling now; part of him so clearly wanted to move, but Sally’s eyes held him in place. “It’s not my usual style, but just this once I can make an exception.”

Sally tried to smile, but it was a weak, frail thing. The desperation in the hedgehog’s voice was simply too clear for his attempt at humor to make it through. “That’s what we’ve _been_ trying, and all that’s done is lead us here,” she said. “Slowed down and vulnerable with Robotnik’s troops still on our tail. You have to-“

“NO I DON’T!”

The hedgehog’s yell echoed out across the rotting trees and muddied ground. Sally’s gaze did not waver. “If you don’t make it out of this,” he said, leaning in closer to the squirrel, “then neither do I.”

He reached out to her, but she reached her free hand out and stopped him. “You…have to make it,” she said, voice trembling just a bit. Even as Sonic moved to respond, she continued, as forcefully as she could, “because we are not the only ones whose lives are at risk here.” Her brows knitted together, her whole body tightening, she said, “Tails…Bunnie…Rotor…Antoine…they will survive if they lose _one_ of us. They won’t survive if they lose _both_ of us.”

Tears began to well up in Sonic’s eyes, even as he clenched his teeth and tried to fight them off. “Sonic… _please_ …” Sally whispered, a trembling hand touching his cheek. 

He wrapped his hands around hers. The rain continued to fall. And the darkness only grew deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene actually stems from a larger story I may or may not eventually get around to writing some day, but it's been roiling around in my head for YEARS and this scene specifically was so clearly defined that I just HAD to get it done.


	5. Escape From The Empire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAY FIVE-ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: A glimpse at a different journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTINUITY: Alternate Universe (primarily based on pre-Reboot Archie)  
> PROMPT: Alternate Universe (duh XD)

As the mountain trail wound up higher and higher, Sally dared to look back.

It was strange to think that even though she had lived there all her life, this was the first time she had truly seen Mobotropolis as a whole. Even from this far off, the city cut an imposing shape, its steel towers and probing search lights almost like an outstretched hand waiting to clench down on the whole planet. _“Was it always this way?”_ Sally wondered, her eyes moving from the towers to the many hover-crafts filling the sky above them. _“All that time I spent locked in my room…all those years spent planning my escape…was_ this _the only thing that was ever waiting for me on the other side?”_

“Eyes front, Princess,” a gruff voice spoke from behind, snapping her out of her thoughts. “The path’s only gonna get more narrow, ‘n’ I’m not interested in lettin’ you fall t’your death after all the trouble I’ve been through today.”

Sally spared the speaker a glance: a young hedgehog dressed in ragged clothing, bearing a sword and with her family’s crest branded on his forehead. Sonic, he’d said his name was, though Sally wondered how truthful he was being about that. “It’s ironic,” she said even as she obeyed his order and looked away from him to focus on the path ahead. “If I’d _known_ you were planning to come kidnap me, I could have _saved_ you a lot of that trouble.”

“Don’t remind me,” Sonic chuckled grimly. “My Intel Guy’s got a big enough headache comin’ his way as it is. ‘The princess actually wants to escape with you’ feels like it would’ve been good info to have ahead of time.”

“I don’t suppose there’s any way you could have known,” Sally said, rounding the next curve carefully. “My father didn’t exactly allow for much communication with the outside world on my part.”

They continued to trudge along the dirt, careful of the narrow edge and the sharp stones. The lights from Mobotropolis still shined against the rock. “So, uh…” Sonic mumbled, tracing the blade of his sword along the path. His gruff tone remained, but there was an awkward lilt to it now, an attempt at softness Sally could tell did not come easily to him. “…why did you _agree_ t’come with me anyway? I mean…I only saw that room of yours a little, but it looked like the lap of luxury.”

“A gilded cage is still a cage,” Sally answered promptly.

“Even when you’re the one who owns it?” Sonic shot back with a more natural sharpness.

“It’s like I told you before. All the things my father’s been doing…this tyranny he’s made you and your friends live under…I didn’t know.” It sounded pitiful even to her, but it was the truth.

Sonic hummed lowly; Sally was still facing ahead, but she could feel his eyes focused on her. “…or maybe you didn’t _want_ t’know,” he finally muttered. “In any case, we’re here.”

He put a hand to the squirrel’s shoulder, carefully moving past her to a sizable boulder that sat on the side of the path. After cautiously scanning around, he pushed it forward, revealing a narrow, dark cavern. “This next part’s even less fun, but it shouldn’t be too long…” he said, motioning for Sally to step in.

“I understand,” she replied. As she moved into the shadows, she added, “For whatever it’s worth…I want to make it right.” She looked at the brand on his head. “All of it.”

“Guess we’ll both find out how much you mean that before too long,” Sonic answered. Again his voice was surprisingly soft, but it felt much more sincere this time.

Together, they both left the city behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like last chapter, this one is essentially an excerpt from a larger story I've been developing for quite some time, an AU where Robotnik never happened and the Acorn Kingdom instead became a tyrannical Empire all on its own (lord knows Max is a big enough dick in the original comics for that to be plausible XD; ). But unlike last chapter, where I could not tell you when that larger story would ever see the light of day, THIS one is MUCH more clearly defined in my mind, and thus far likelier to actually see the light of day at some point in the not-too-distant future. Here's hoping putting this bit out there whets enough appetites for more. ;3


	6. Shake Like The Bough Of A Willow Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAY SIX-HURT: Finding the thing tragedy cannot take away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTINUITY: Archie Comics (Pre-Reboot)  
> PROMPT: Hurt  
> Features Mecha Sally. Brief mention of Suicidal Ideation.

_“You should deactivate me. Immediately.”_

The memory of those words rang strongly through Sonic’s mind as he walked through the streets of New Mobotropolis. They weighed his steps, keeping him from the brisk pace he usually enjoyed. 

_“I appreciate everything you’ve done to…to save me, but…you heard Rotor. I can’t_ be _saved. This…this is what I_ am _now.”_

He looked to the soft glow of the moon in the sky, and it reminded him of those eyes. Sally’s eyes, unmistakable even when locked within a shell of glass and lights. Looking more full of… _despair_ …then he could ever remember having seen in them before. 

_“There is no telling when I might…lose control again. We need to neutralize that threat_ now _, before it…before_ I _…can hurt anyone else ever again.”_

The hedgehog’s quills bristled as the hospital came into view. It had been a few days now since those terrible words had been spoken…since he and Sally had seen each other. _“I think right now, a bit of space is for the best,”_ Dr. Quack had said, and though patience was the farthest thing from Sonic’s strong suit, he cared deeply enough about Sally’s well being to obey for as long as he could. But in all that time, Sally’s words had continued to play and replay in his mind.

He had to do _something_.

So he’d talked to Quack, convinced him to give him this time…this _chance_. And as he entered the hospital, walked down its halls, and opened that door, he resolved to do whatever he could to make that chance _count_. “Hey, Sal.”

The robotic squirrel sat in the corner of the room, legs bent in front of her chest and arms folded across her knees, head bent low. For a moment, she remained that way, perfectly still…but eventually, she lifted her gaze to meet Sonic’s. When she said nothing, the hedgehog continued to speak, walking toward her. “I was thinkin’, if you weren’t doin’ anything else…” He reached a hand gently out to her. “Would you wanna take a li’l walk outside with me?”

Sally continued to stare at him in silence, but he did not move his hand. “I got Quack’s OK for it,” he said to her, then, more softly, “and I promise, first sign of any kind of trouble, I’ll zip you right back here. ‘Hog’s honor.”

They stayed like that for a few moments. And then, slowly, surely, Sally placed her hand in his.

Soon, they were back outside, walking together wordlessly, aimlessly. Every so often, they would look at each other, Sonic would smile, Sally’s eyes would flicker, and then it would be over. Eventually, they found themselves on the outskirts of the city. “’S a really nice night out,” Sonic said.

At first, Sally said nothing, but as her eyes slowly scanned across the stars, she spoke softly, “…yes…it is.”

That got Sonic’s attention, his ears perking just a touch. “Wanna make the most of it?” he asked, turning to look at her more fully. The robotic squirrel tilted her head uncertainly. “I know you’ve been through…are _going_ through…a lot,” Sonic added, stepping toward her again; when she did not try to stop him or show any sign of discomfort, he closed the gap between them completely, hands slipping carefully along her waist. “But I’m still right here, Sal. Always ‘n’ always.” He pressed his head to hers…and he couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he felt her press back. “So follow my lead, OK?”

She nodded, and without another word Sonic had zipped away. He waved to her from the several feet of distance he’d immediately put between them. “Whaddya say, Sal?” he called out. “Wanna keep up our stroll?”

At first, Sally hesitated. Her hands tightened, and she stepped back, eyes drifting to her own feet. “That’s OK too, Sal,” he said. “It’s like I promised: you feel like goin’ back, we go back.” She looked over to him. “D’you _feel_ like goin’ back?”

The princess seemed to consider it. But then, just a few seconds later, her hands opened up and her posture straightened. And then, with clunky but committed steps, she raced toward Sonic. He nodded eagerly, and darted off again; it was far from his max speed, but it set a strong pace. Sally continued to follow. “Where are we going…?” she asked as she strove to keep up. 

“Guess we’ll both find that out,” Sonic replied, “together.”

He began to go faster. She did her best to match him. The city fell further and further behind them, the sky opening up wider and wider. She began to gain ground on the hedgehog, her steps growing stronger and steadier with each stride. “Lookin’ _good_ , Sal!” Sonic said brightly. “It’s pretty fun, right? Movin’ like this?”

As they came to a towering mountain range, the hedgehog’s more familiar speed truly began to settle in, carrying him up the stone with ease. Even still, Sally remained right next to him, her eyes locked to his the whole way until they reached a plateau near the peak where Sonic finally skidded to a stop, and the robotic squirrel did the same. “…wait…how…?” she whispered, blinking a bit she looked all the way back down…and saw a trail of smoke beginning to wisp away. 

Sally gasped, snapping her head down as she realized it was coming from the rocket boosters embedded into her feet. But even as she trembled, Sonic’s hands were on her shoulders, gently pulling her toward him. “It’s OK,” he whispered soothingly. “Sal, look at me.” She shook her head. “Please, Sal. I’m still right here, we’re still OK. Just…look at me, _please_.”

It was a plea, but not a desperate one, and in spite of herself Sally slowly did as he asked, finding his green eyes looking at her, filled with starlight and warmth. “We’re just…moving right now,” he said softly. “That’s all it is. Just…movement.” He gave her a moment, watched as her trembling slowed. “”When I’m in that world, just… _moving_? Everything just starts to make sense, y’know? So I wanted to share that with you. Because I love you.” Her hands slowly reached up to his own. “Because I wanted you t’see that this…what happened to you…” He paused, blinking at the wetness in his eyes. “There are things it _can’t_ take from you. Not _ever_.”

The two stood together in the moonlight, holding each other’s gaze and each other’s hands. And then Sally slid forward, wrapping her hands around Sonic and pulling him close. She was careful. _So_ careful. But she held him even so, and Sonic soon returned the gesture. They stayed like that for a good, long while, until Sally spoke, slowly, softly, shakily…but clearly. “…do you want…do you want to move with me…?”

He let out a contented breath. “Always, Sal.”

They leaned into each other. And then they began to move into the air. Higher and higher. Then faster and faster. Just like the city, the mountain fell further and further behind them. And then they began to turn. Then they bobbed downward, and lifted back upward. The straight lines became curves and bends leaving lines of light and smoke in their wake. Sally watched with wide eyes, Sonic smiling and laughing. Their dance carried them over the mountains, past the tree tops. “Just _feel_ it, Sal,” Sonic said. “Don’t think. Just… _feel_ it.”

The robotic squirrel looked to him cautiously. He looked back at her with a sincere smile and a trusting gaze. 

And then…she closed her eyes. 

She opened her arms and let him go, rising higher still into the air. 

Felt the motions travel across every bit of steel and circuitry. Felt them move through _her_. 

And then she careened back down, and found Sonic’s outstretched hand waiting for hers.

They continued that way for what felt like hours, up, over, around, together, apart, reunited. 

But at long last, eventually, their feet touched down again, now on the roof of the hospital. Sonic slipped down into a sit, laughing happily. “You’re quite the dancer, Sal,” he said.

She stood there for a moment. She looked at him, then looked down at her feet. And then she too sat down, leaning gently into his shoulder. “…thank you,” she whispered back.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you might guess from how long this chapter is compared to the others, the story on this one ran away with me a little bit, but that's mostly just 'cuz I have A Lot Of Thoughts about the whole Mecha Sally thing that I wish Literally Anyone-the comic, 'fic writers, SOMEBODY-did more to work with. Which just means I put A LOT into this one because of how much it's a story I've wanted for so long. I'm fairly happy with the results, too.  
> also in case the title wasn't enough of a tip-off, "Movement" by Hozier was THE song on loop for me while I was working on this.


	7. A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAY SEVEN-PEACE: The future she never thought they'd see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTINUITY: SatAM  
> PROMPT: Peace

Their meetings were all done for the day. The papers had been signed, the races had been run. Neo Mobotropolis was safe for another day, and so Sonic and Sally found their way to the roof top once more. 

They’d chosen the house together. It was nice and tall, plenty of space, and most importantly, right in the center of the city square. The perfect viewpoint.

It was a bit later today than their usual time; the sun was a bit lower along the horizon. But the warm orange glow it created still turned the whole city into a lovely painting of steel and trees, New and Old existing together in perfect harmony. The air smelled sweet, a gentle breeze blowing by; the gentle echo of the kids playing in the square carried out from below. Together, Sonic and Sally sat in the middle of it all, sharing a smile between them. 

“Did you ever think we’d make it this far?” Sally asked after a few minutes, looking out across the skyline, the sun reflecting just right against the glass of her robotic eye.

Sonic stretched his legs a bit as he sat down next to her. “Can’t say I ever really thought that far ahead,” he replied. “Figured it wouldn’t do me any good t’get distracted by that sorta thing.” He leaned back a bit. “’Sides, feels kinda moot at this point, doesn’t it? We _did_ make it this far.”

The former princess chuckled a bit at that, putting a hand to his shoulder and rubbing it gently. He put his hand to hers with a chuckle of his own. “I didn’t,” she said. Noticing his quirked brow, she added, “I never let myself doubt that we’d _win_ , to be clear. But…this…” she gestured outward to the orange sky and the trees and the buildings, “is more than just ‘winning’. This is being around to see what happens after.”

“And that’s the part you thought we wouldn’t get to see?”

“I thought for certain at least one of us would die _well_ before now,” she answered bluntly. “In the War, or from poor health, or for _whatever_ damned reason it wound up being.” Their hands tightened just a bit more around each other. “I guess…at some point, I got so used to Loss being a fixture in my life that a part of me was always trying to _anticipate_ it.”

He shifted around a bit, letting his head find her lap. “Grimmer train of thought than you usually bring up here,” he said softly. “Something got ya troubled?”

She ran her fingers through his quills…slowly, tenderly, letting each one prickle against her just a little. “No…quite the opposite, really,” she replied warmly. “I just realized that next week, it will have been fifteen whole years since…” She let out a low little breath. “…since we finally got to come home again.”

Sonic’s ears perked up a bit. “Whoa…really? _That_ long?”

“I had the same thought when I realized it myself.”

“Wild…” Sonic whispered, then, more clearly, said, “Guess I never learned the whole ‘thinking that far ahead’ trick in all that time.”

Sally chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said, placing a gentle kiss to his forehead.

The sun began to settle behind the horizon. Warm orange began turning to cool purple. “It just…makes me grateful for how lucky we are,” Sally said. “Each and every day we’re able to hold onto this.”

Sonic sat back up, his arms finding their way around Sally’s waist in the process. “Then here’s to a whole lot more days just like it,” he said, nuzzling into her neck.

She hummed her agreement.

They stayed on the roof until the cool purple became a silky black, and the city below was lit up by the gentle stars above. And eventually, they slowly but surely went back inside, to prepare for the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I often think about the future of SatAM Specifically (especially since I find so little of Archie's "25/30 Years Later" take on the concept particularly satisfying); in particular I find myself fixated on the idea of Sally losing her eye at some point and needing a robotic replacement as a clear symbol that the kind of Tech that once posed such a threat to her and her loved ones has now been harnessed for Good. That image is more or less where this pic, and subsequently story, came from, along with me challenging myself to see if I could plausibly make Sonic look older without breaking his design.


	8. We Have The Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAY EIGHT (Finale)-PROTECT: Two swords, two souls, united.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTINUITY: Archie (Pre-Reboot)  
> PROMPT: Protect

Sally looked at her reflection in the blade of her family’s sacred sword. Remembered the girl who had looked back at her the last time she’d held it. How frightened she’d been of losing herself inside of its powerful depths. “I can still feel it, you know…” she mused aloud. “The Source of All…the power it imbued in the Sword of Acorns. Even now, I can feel its pull.”

“Good. Means the thing still works even after we had t’glue it back together.”

The princess looked to her partner. Sonic too wielded a mighty sword now. Caliburn, he’d called it. The weapon of a mighty king that had chosen _him_ as its new bearer. The hedgehog was giving it a few test swings at that moment. “Don’t get me wrong,” he added. “I haven’t forgotten all the trouble that fancy letter-opener caused way back when…” A more serious tone entered his words for a moment. “Or what it tried to do to you.” His voice lightened again immediately. “But that ain’t happenin’ this time. _You’re_ the one in control now. So we just need these big butter-knives t’do their job, ‘n’ we’ll be fine.”

“I appreciate your spirit,” Sally said with a smile. “How’re you feeling with _your_ sword?”

In answer, Sonic threw Caliburn into the air. The spinning blade made a light whistle as it carried through the air and back down again, its hilt landing in Sonic’s hand with ease. “I _do_ kinda miss it talking to me, though,” he said calmly. “Surprisingly good conversationalist, as Enchanted Weapons go.”

“I can’t say I miss hearing _my_ sword’s voice, personally,” Sally replied, “but thankfully, talking isn’t what we brought them here to do.”

That got a little smirk out of the hedgehog. “Yeah, _we’ve_ got that bit covered pretty good.”

She gave him a playful shove that rattled his armor a bit. “Are you saying you want to _skip_ our traditional pre-combat banter?” she asked.

“You kidding? That’s practically my favorite part of the whole thing!” he replied, wrapping his knuckles against the golden shoulder-pad of Sally’s regalia. “Besides, it’ll leave us nice ‘n’ warmed up for the traditional _During_ Combat banter.”

They both shared a good laugh at that, each one’s free hand finding the way to the other, their fingers instinctively lacing together.

The laughter was cut short by the unearthly roar that echoed out from the distance.

“Iblis,” Sally whispered sharply. “It’s here.”

Sonic looked to the skies ahead of them, nodding as he saw the growing smoky shadows building up amongst the clouds. “I’d ask if you’re ready for this,” he said, “but I already know.”

The princess gave one last look back at the city. “We’re _always_ ready,” she answered. “You and me.”

Their hands were still held together, even as they both walked toward the growing darkness. Even as the roars grew louder and closer, and they could feel the flames beginning to rise. “Together,” they both said.

They finally let go of each other.

They raised their swords to the sky together.

The darkness was met with light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's another year of "Bound For Freedom" stories done. I hope everyone's enjoyed them; I had a lot of fun making these, and I look forward to making even more this year. ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> When I started the "Bound for Freedom" blog on Tumblr back in August of 2019, it was just a silly tossed-off thought, a way for me to honor my OTP of all OTPs as my birthday gift to myself.  
> But in the time since, it's become Tumblr's one-stop shop for all things Sonic X Sally, which in turn meant that when August of 2020 rolled around, I once again decided to run an eight-day event all about the pairing. And so, just in time for Valentine's Day this year, I offer up this cross-posted collection of my own contributions to the festivities.  
> As before, I hope that everyone who reads them enjoys them.


End file.
